As everyone out there probably knows, there was a horrible gas explosion in Canton, Illinois last month. If somehow you didn’t hear about this, click here for the story. Since the explosion there’s been an effort to rebuild and get the city back on it’s feet. I haven’t been to Canton in decades and I figured this would be not only the perfect time to do a little Christmas shopping but to let everyone know that businesses are back in operation and if you could take the short drive to that city, it would help immensely. And just like all road trips, this begins with...

A knock on the door at MBIP World Headquarters, let’s see who this is...

Bob Dylan? Well, you must be mixed up, this is MBIP World Headquarters, not Heaven’s Door, so move along now! Go on, scoot!

Let’s try this again!

Okay, that’s more like it, it’s MBIP Contributor, pal and wheelman, Scott Turley! And he brought along a little present in the form of a Metamora board game. I’ll be featuring that on a Saturday coming up, so stay tuned for that. Now it’s time to hit the road!

And awaaay we go! Before you know it, the signpost is ahead and we’re in Canton. There’s still some rubble to clean up from the explosion over there. We’re going to go park in the town’s square a couple blocks away.

Well, things look good over here! Lots of businesses open and ready for some Christmas business. I wish we could go to all of them, but we’ve just got the afternoon, so Scot and I thought we’d pick three and show some of the other store fronts that are currently open for business and would appreciate you stopping by! Time for our first stop!

East Side Antiques

This place looked interesting and the open sign is all lit up, let's go inside and see what’s happening!

It’s very nice in here and it it loaded with interesting antiques and one-of-a-kind items! That’s Jennifer behind the counter, she’s the manager and told us to feel free to look around and take some pictures in here!

This place is loaded to the gills with cool items! Everything from custom-made jewelry to clothes to Elvis figurines to old copies of The Weekly World News! I couldn’t possibly get pictures of all the stuff in here, this is just a small sampling, you definitely need to check this place out! Click here to visit their facecrack page for more information!

The Sweet Shoppe And Lewis Emporium

I’ve heard about this place before and always wanted to do a blog on it. And now here we are, I love it when things work out like this!

Holy moley, check out the Cheap Trick floor in here! Too cool! That’s the owner of the place, Alice and she told us to feel free to browse and look around in this sweet emporium!

Of course there’s all kinds of candy in here but there’s much more than that. There’s an old-time soda fountain in the middle of the shop where you can get ice cream treats, sandwiches, soup and hot dogs! There’s also antique wooden booths to sit in and a jukebox stocked with 60’s tunes! I might just move in here! I’m definitely coming back to do a full-fledged blog in here! Here’s their online information.

Capitol Music

We couldn’t pass up hitting a record store here in Canton! That’s Eric behind the counter and he told us he’s been in business here in Canton for years. Let’s take a look at some of the inventory in here.

There’s racks of CD’s and DVD’s in here and in addition there’s also musical instruments and amplifiers. There’s also comic books, t-shirts, posters and, something Scott found that was really cool, they have framed posters with photos of when The Doors played here in Canton in 1967! Click here for their website.

Other Store Fronts

One nice problem we had coming here to Canton is that there’s not enough time to hit all the stores and businesses. So here’s a small collection of some of the places we didn’t have time to go into and this is just scratching the surface. There’s certainly plenty to come to Canton, Illinois if you’re looking for a fun holiday shopping experience! There’s also plenty of bars and restaurants, so we chose one of those for a lunch before hitting the road back home!

Billy’s Tap

This place looked like a great corner tavern to have our lunch at, let’s go in and take a look!

This is such a cool bar and that’s Jill and Ellen who were both on bartending duty for the afternoon! They took our order and I went to go snap some photos while the food was being prepared!

Well, we definitely have to come back to Canton! I could do a separate blog on every place I’ve seen here...hmm...”Meanwhile, Back In Canton...” that does have a nice ring to it! And the service here is great, before we knew it our lunch was being served by Ellen. Both Scott and I got the bacon cheeseburger and it was definitely one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! I think we have to come back to sample more from Billy’s Tap! Here’s their website for more information!

Shandi’s Music & More

Sadly, not all of the stores are back in operation here in Canton. One of those is Shandi’s Music which is owned by Bob Long, a friend of mine from way back when. Bob’s a great guy and there’s a benefit concert that's being held in March to help him with the rebuilding of his record and collectible store in Canton. You can read more about the show and how to get tickets here.

It’s a short drive to Canton, Illinois and you should make the trip there to do some holiday shopping if you can. I know all the folks there would appreciate it and it’s a nice way to spread some holiday cheer to those who need it most! We’ll see you all tomorrow!